Harrison Fordhas only been nominated for an Oscar once in his career.
In the eight years beforeWitness, hed starred in three Star Wars movies and two Indiana Jones flicks.
Witnesswas something different, however.
Ford would, in fact, make many such films in the decades to come.
Theyre seen for certain.
So many of Fords best performances, though, rely on whats beneath the surface.
In some ways, it complements the Amish lifestyle as seen in a terrific and elongated barn-raising sequence.
Soon enough that incongruity becomes bitterly inescapable.
The actual fisticuff stunt work involved in Ford beating up some meatheads is basic, the sound effects pedestrian.
But it is the bubbling look of anger and hostility in Fords countenance that causes sincere discomfort.
Something beautiful has been violated; the lovely daydream between Ford and McGillis characters shattered into a million pieces.
Witnessis nominally a thriller, but in practice its a doomed romance.
It was a turn worthy of an Oscar nomination.
